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GS paper II comprises of Indian Constitution, Governance and Social justice and International Relations. As per the UPSC syllabus for GS paper 2 topics starting from Government policies to Role of civil services in a democracy is considered as the portion under Governance......

Editorials/Op-Eds in newspapers are useful sources for adding analytical points to the facts on any issue. For example, while discussing any new law, you can read about the various provisions of the law from the summary of law itself but to analyze it further, you will need to understand the pros/cons. merits/demerits, or advantages/limitations, shortcomings etc. of the law......

The UPSC has mentioned the world history syllabus very briefly. Therefore, most of the questions in the main examination seem to be asked from outside the syllabus. Due to this reason, we have to redraw the syllabus very intelligently. For that, we can take direct help from the world history syllabus of the history optional. Here no need to go depth into these topics but just overall understanding of these topics will help you to answer the GS world history part......

Choosing an optional subject for Mains Examination is a strategic decision a candidate has to make in the overall scheme of Mains Examination. Given the high weightage (nearly 30%: (500/1750)) of the optional subject in the Mains Examination, it plays a crucial part in deciding the ranking of the candidate......

We, at Vajiram consistently endeavour to provide the best possible study material to our students. The content is re-written, re-adjusted, edited, proof-read and then published. We do not claim that we are error free but our core focus has always been on trying to give the best possible content which we can provide......

Continuously failing 3 times in the UPSC Main examination could be due to any, or a combination, of the following things:

1. Lack of comprehensive preparation in terms of content.
2. Poor comprehension of the questions' demand.
3. Poor quality of answer writing......

Learn about all the India's neighbouring countries. Make a note of various Indian states which share their boundaries with such neighbouring countries. Give relatively more importance to countries of Indian Subcontinent.....

Being able to clear UPSC CSE without joining any coaching institute, depends on a person’s will to work hard. It is not an impossible feat but you need to be more focused and diligent in your approach than ever before. This is an age where information is available in plenty for free, but you need to make sure that you don’t get lost in the sea of information....

Current Affairs is of paramount importance for the preparation for the Civil Services Exam in all the 3 stages of this exam. Realizing its significance, we treat current affairs as a separate subject, as its relevance is more than 50% of the civil services exam syllabus....

What is central to the success of an interview are the levels of confidence and composure exhibited by a candidate before the Interview Board.  That will show that the candidate is in control of himself and the interview. A thorough preparation on the various topics of Current Affairs, optional subje...

Preparation for the Civil Services Exam is, essentially, a race against time. Thus, the key to success is efficient time-management. As far as General Studies Papers are concerned, an aspirant has no choice but to prepare the syllabus extensively and comprehensively on a regular basis. However, one has the autonomy to opt for an Optional Subject of one’s own choice.

The Optional Subject can, significantly, make or mar one’s chances of becoming an IAS. Hence, one must choose the Optional Subject discerningly, with due care and consideration, in the pursuit of coveted aspiration. In this regard, Philosop.....

Ethics Paper (GS-IV) was introduced in 2013, full six years ago, but still is shrouded in mystery. Partly because there is no single good book explaining basics in an authoritative manner, partly because the syllabus itself can be interpreted very widely and also partly because most of us have no background in ethics as there is no directly related undergraduate course.

To clear up the confusion students have related to ...

Here is a list of important books for Anthropology Optional Subject

1. Physical anthropology by P. Nath
2. Anthropology by Ember and Ember
3. An Introduction to Social Anthropolog ...

Here is a list of important books for Commerce and Accountancy Optional Subject

1. ACCOUNTING:

• FUNDAMENTALS OF CORPORATE ACCOUNTING--J.R.MONGA
• ACCOUNTING STANDARDS - ICAI PUBLICATIONS.

2. COST ACCOUNTING:

• FUNDAMENTALS OF MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING --ANTHONY & WELSCH
• COST ACCOUNTING; THEORY & ...

Every year, 21st April is celebrated as ‘Civil Services Day’ by the Government of India to commemorate the day when first Home Minister of Independent India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel addressed the probationers of Administrative Services Officers in 1947 at Metcalfe House, Delhi. He referred to civil servants as the "steel frame of India".

Sardar Patel completed the task of ...

It has been brought to our attention that students are being misled in to taking admission in other similar sounding/ copycat coaching inst...

Choosing the right optional subject for UPSC CSE Mains is a very crucial decision that every UPSC aspirant has to make. A general thumb rule is that you should take the subject in which you have some academic background and a genuine interest. Along with this, some other factors like – past performance of the subject in UPSC, time frame required to prepare the subject, contribution of the subject towards General Studies syllabus and coaching available in the subject should also be considered in deciding the Optional Subject.

Same criteria apply to opting Mathematics as an Optional Subject for UPSC CSE Mains.

First of all, an aspirant need to have..

There are actually 8 books that cover almost 80-85% of the syllabus.

It is updation, enrichment and deeper conceptual clarity that requires more books and coverage of current affairs based questions. Sincerely managing GS goes a long way in helping geography too.

Basic books

1. NCERT-XI & XII

2. Made Simple Series by Rupa Publication-Vol-I & II

3. A certificate course ...

This is a query that concerns most of the UPSC IAS Exam aspirants. General Studies, that is compulsory for both Prelims and Mains in the UPSC Exam has a wide range of subjects to cover and most of the time aspirants find it difficult to tackle subjects that they have not been in touch with after school. Same applies to aspirants who have opted an Optional Subject that they have not studied during their graduation days. For example, a science graduate finds it tough to cover the huge syllabus of humanities subjects.

What one needs to keep in mind here is that the UPSC doesn’t expect the aspirants of Civil Services Exam to be experts/specialists in each of the subjects of its syllabus, rather have a generalist knowledge about all the topics. So first of all, take the fear out ...

UPSC CSE preparation demands not just being aware about the News related to any topic published on a particular date, but also everything related to it that was in News in the past some time or will be in News till the exam date. This is known as maintaining track of ‘Backward/Forward Linkages’ related to all the current affairs topics. Also, there are instances when for some subjects you need to keep updating your study material in sync with the happenings taking place at present.

The best way to do this is to make short notes from the newspaper by maintaining a separate register or a folder/file of paper sheets for newspaper notes. Divide the file into separate parts based on .....

Dos: 

• Revise, Revise and Revise: Whatever subject and topic you are studying, make sure to revise and remember so you do not make lose marks in those topics. Without proper revision, you will probably carry more confusion into the exam hall and end up with a higher negative score that will undo all the good work that you have otherwise done.
• Make assessment on Facts vs Concepts: The UPSC prelims over the last few years in core subjects has become quite conceptual. So look at the last 4-5 year’s question papers and make an assessment of the type of questions that are asked on each subject. For example, in Polity ...